McCarthy wants country to take a responsible path for deficit reduction

In Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s vision for deficit reduction, negotiations occur within Congress rather than going through the White House.

McCarthy, the Majority Whip and third ranking Republican in the House — talked about the path forward for the country following the last-minute deal to avoid going over the fiscal cliff in a phone interview Friday.

But before he addressed the economy, McCarthy took a moment to praise the first responders and teachers at Taft Union High School.

McCarthy represents both Taft and Ridgecrest in Congress and was in Taft on Thursday after hearing the news of the shooting.

In particular, he hailed TUHS teacher Ryan Heber as a hero for convincing the gunman to put down his weapon.

“This teacher did a great job and saved many kids,” McCarthy said.

The shooting was a dark distraction from a tough battle ahead for McCarthy and Republicans as they try to work a deal to reduce the country’s deficit.

He criticized President Barack Obama’s leadership in this process, saying that Vice President Joe Biden “did more in six hours than the president did in six months.”

The country stood at a self-created precipice dubbed the Fiscal Cliff thanks to the inability to reach a consensus on the debt ceiling in the summer of 2011.

Republicans in the House demanded the country’s deficit spending be reduced before they agreed to any raise in the debt ceiling — the country’s borrowing limit.

When a deal couldn’t be reached, both sides agreed to raise the credit limit so long as the government agreed to a way to address the deficit by the first of this year.

If the government couldn’t reach a consensus on budget cuts and tax revenues, than the Bush Era tax cuts would expire and about $1 trillion of automatic cuts would go into place.

The 13th hour deal pushed through by the Senate kicked spending cuts down the road to March and increased taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Rates went up for individuals making more than $400,000 per year and couples making more than $450,000 per year.

McCarthy voted no on the deal, joining Majority Leader Eric Cantor in dissenting from the Speaker of the House.

He was one of 167 House members to vote no.

McCarthy pointed out the country’s debt is now greater than its economy. The path he wants to see is one where both houses of Congress pass a bill on spending cuts, and they work to meld the two proposals.

“What I want to see is the House pass something early. Then the Senate does what it wants and we send it to conference,” McCarthy said.

He expressed little confidence in something being worked out with the White House.

McCarthy’s biggest complaint is even after Obama won the battle for more revenue through tax increases, McCarthy said now the president wants more through closing of tax loopholes.

McCarthy called this irresponsible to do now on top of the tax increases.

Page 2 of 2 - “It will harm the economy greatly,” he said. “There will be less money for people to spend and it will harm small businesses.”

Before the deal reached on Jan. 1, some in Congress had pushed for the closing of tax loopholes to reach the revenue demands from the president.

McCarthy said it was an either-or proposition and the president shouldn’t have it both ways. He said closing loop holes but leaving rates alone was just part of a fair tax system, but hitting businesses with a double whammy of tax increases would injure an economy slowly getting out of the Great Recession.

On top of deficit reductions, the country is once again going to have to face the debt ceiling.

“The debt limit in the short term is the biggest hurdle,” McCarthy said. “(But) it gives us an opportunity to put us on a better path economically.”

Taft shooting reaction

Though McCarthy expressed his condolences to those in Taft, he doesn’t want to make any policy changes too soon.

“I wouldn’t want to pass anything out of emotion,” McCarthy said.

Ironically, on the same day as the Taft shooting, the White House was meeting with both sides of the gun control debate to discuss how to prevent further mass shootings.

McCarthy said he doesn’t want to take any option off the table just yet, including the NRA’s proposal to put armed guards at every school.

But any way forward, McCarthy said, needs to address the mental health system in the United States. He criticized the president for looking too hard at gun control laws rather than focusing on those who have mental disorders and preventing them from gaining access to weapons.